What if(Snowbarry prompts)
by Jon56
Summary: Stories on all the snowbarry moments in the Flash that should've, but didn't happen. Also, Cisco is a main character only because he's notorious for interrupting Barry and Caitlin in 1x07...(which is also the first chapter in this series). I don't own anything from the Flash, because if I did Barry would be with Caitlin right now.
1. 1x07

**Hi! This is my first story that I am writing. I got this idea after rewatching all the seasons on Netflix about how there were so many moments that happen in the episodes that could've resulted in a great snowbarry moment that was either interrupted by another character, never followed up on, or just never happened (like the many times Caitlin was captured and Barry was so worried about her only to not address it later in the episode!). The chapters might get out of order as I'm writing these as they come to my head, so sorry if the episodes won't be in chronological order, but I'll do my best. I also don't want to do episodes that are too early (like 1x03), as I like how their relationship was a slow burn and how through each episode, their friendship continued to develop until it looked like it could be a romantic one(at least for season 1 before the writers decided not to go down this path...), so I don't want their relationship to seem rushed. Plus, I actually was fine with the first few episodes and the interactions between them because they did a good job of developing their relationship. **

**Also, another note is that each prompt is independent from each other, meaning that a moment that I write that happens between Barry and Caitlin won't carry on into the next chapter and so on. This is because I want all these stories to hold true to the "what if" title and remain hypothetical scenes that just should've happened. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Prompt: What if Cisco hadn't interrupted what Caitlin was going to do during her conversation with Barry after he lost his powers?_

_POV: Caitlin_

* * *

Caitlin was still having a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that Barry had lost his powers. Part of her felt bad for Barry as she knew that being the Flash was important to him, but a part of her was also upset at the universe in general. She started out hating Barry for running around like a supersonic fireman, risking his life to save others as it reminded her too much of Ronnie. It wasn't like she didn't think saving other people was a bad thing to do, but in the 9 months that she was taking care of him in his coma, she had grown overprotective of his safety as she didn't want anyone else to have to suffer through what she had gone through with losing Ronnie. Yet as the weeks went by, any anger she felt towards Barry turned into caring deeply about his wellbeing every time he stepped out into the field, praying that he comes back alive and doing her best to patch him up when he comes back scarred. That's why Barry losing his powers hit her so hard, as she felt that in a way, she had failed to protect him, even though deep down she knows there wasn't much she could've done.

Caitlin sighed at this thought as she walked into the Cortex, expecting to just see Cisco working on finding out who the metahuman was. Instead, she found Barry alone, leaning against the wall and staring at his Flash suit. Caitlin suddenly felt a desperate need to talk to him. If she couldn't help him get his powers back at the moment, she should at least be there for him.

Caitlin began walking towards Barry, unsure of what to say. He turned his head around briefly to see who was coming, and they made eye contact for a second before he turned back to the suit.

"You think I'll ever wear it again?" Barry asked, still continuing to stare at the suit.

"I hope so," Caitlin replied. Again, Barry turned his head, almost as if he was surprised to hear her say that. She could've phrased it in any other way, but she wanted to emphasize that she truly cared about how he felt.

She heard Barry audibly sigh as he began to speak again. "I didn't have my speed for very long, but now that it's gone, it feels like a part of me is gone too." His gaze never left the suit, making Caitlin feel even more bad for him.

"With or without your speed you're still you Barry." And she meant that. He was so much more than just a speedster who ran around saving people. Sure, she felt that she had some purpose to her life while he is the Flash with helping him, but she was also just glad that he had come into her life. It was at the perfect time too, with her feeling broken after Ronnie's death, but getting to know Barry as a person made coping with the loss a whole lot easier. The prime example of this was when the metahuman Cisco named The Mist showed up. She was so relieved when Barry had initially bailed her out of going down to the particle accelerator and instead took her to visit the CCPD. He then was able to help conquer her fear of going down to the accelerator by simply going with her and comforting her with a hug. He didn't need his powers to do to this; he was just being Barry.

"But I'm not. I'm not the best version of me," Barry replied. "I love being the Flash."

And for the first time in the conversation, Barry gave his infectious smile that Caitlin couldn't do anything but smile back.

"I love everything about it. The feeling of running hundreds of miles per hour, wind and power just rushing past my face."

And for the first time in the conversation, Barry's eyes connected with Caitlin's, reminding her of how amazing his eyes looked. This wasn't the first time she thought this way about him, but for whatever reason, she couldn't stop thinking about that now. Not just his eyes, but how happy he looked as he described his superhero alter-ego. It must mean so much to him…

"Being able to help people," Caitlin immediately snapped out of her trance as Barry's voice cut into her thoughts. "I'm not sure I can live without it Caitlin."

Suddenly the air was filled with thick silence, and Caitlin realized that it was her turn to respond. She honestly had no idea what to say. Barry had just poured out his feelings on how important being the Flash meant to him, and there was no way she could rival what he said with comforting words. All she knew was that she couldn't live without him.

It was almost like there was some sort of force that started to pull her towards Barry. She took a few steps forward until there was no space in between them, and that's when Caitlin realized she had no idea where this was going.

Barry was now looking at her intently, not saying a word and having a face of confusion and anticipation. So, Caitlin did the only thing that wouldn't make their friendship weird but also something she has wanted to do again.

She hugged him.

This wasn't the first time they hugged, but now she wasn't crying about Ronnie and could really take in the hug. Her whole body was filled with this warmth that made her feel so comfortable that she could just fall asleep in his arms. When she felt his arms tighten against her, pulling her even closer, she realized that she should not be enjoying a simple hug this much from a friend.

Unless, she was starting to develop feelings for him. But there was no way she can like Barry. Both of their hearts still belonged to someone else. That doesn't mean she can still enjoy being in his company...

They stayed like that for a few seconds. Caitlin really hoped that no one would -

"Farooq Gibran." Instantly Barry and Caitlin pulled apart and saw Cisco walking towards them, luckily with his head in his tablet so he couldn't observe what just happened between them.

As Cisco explained how he figured out who their meta was, Barry briefly glanced at Caitlin, smiling and mouthing a _thank you_, to which Caitlin couldn't help but smile back. Maybe there was something more going on between them.

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. 1x08

**Thanks for the positive feedback that I received for my first time writing a story! I enjoyed writing that chapter and it only makes me wish more about Cisco not interrupting so early. **

**This next one is set after the events of 1x08. I thought that the episode needed some closure to what Barry had said to everyone while he was affected by Bivilo, and honestly, he did do that with basically everyone except Caitlin, which annoys me a bit. This is my take of what that scene could've possibly been, but a little exaggerated as I'm going off the fact that the writers did originally intend on Barry and Caitlin having feelings for each other. I don't want to do a prompt for every single episode as not all of them need one/make sense to have one/already have good scenes, but it will seem like every episode for most of season one as a lot of parts could've been expanded upon. Enjoy!**

**Also a side note, if anyone just watched 5x18 that came out, the drama in the WestAllen family is crazy! This makes me hopeful that we may get more scenes with Barry and Caitlin as she would be the perfect character to help Barry with this without making him more upset.**

* * *

_Prompt: What if Barry had apologized to Caitlin for hurting her feelings while he was whammied?_

_POV: Barry_

* * *

"_Don't contact me anymore, ok?" _

"_Iris, I'm sorry."_

"_Me too."_

The words still stung as he raced around the city, trying to clear his head from the crazy day he just had. Out of all the other metahumans, who would've thought that the one who would cause the most damage to his life wouldn't be someone who could control the weather or produce lightning from their hands, but someone who could simply make people mad. Yet it had been overwhelming.

Ironically, even when they captured Bivilo and put him in the cell, it felt like he had still won in a way. The fight he had with Oliver was something he thought he would never do, which was to fight his own friends. Thankfully, Oliver was able to take him down as he could only imagine the amount of damage he could've done to more innocent people if he continued on his angry rampage.

This thought made Barry run even faster. Sure, he was still jealous with Eddie, but to now lose Iris' support of him as the Flash stung, even though she didn't even know that he is the Flash. That's why earning her trust back would be so hard, as without knowing that Barry is the Flash, she can't understand and forgive him for what he did. At least everyone back at Star Labs understood the whole situation. Joe, Wells, Cisco, Caitlin…

Oh crap.

The memory suddenly flooded back into the front of his memory.

"_Caitlin, I'm not Ronnie, you got to stop treating me like I am."_

Barry stopped running in the middle of the street. How could he be so stupid and say something like that to her? He'd like to think that it was all Bivilo's fault and that the anger caused him to say that, but that was no excuse. Those words came from deep within his head, and the anger simply highlighted those feelings.

Barry felt a sick feeling in his stomach. How could he go from helping Caitlin cope with Ronnie's death only to bring it up again? She was only just concerned for his safety, and he shouldn't have made that comparison to Ronnie. Even if it was the anger, he knew that was literally minutes after he was whammied, so shouldn't he have been able to suppress it for a little longer due to his powers?

Turning around in the empty street, Barry began running back to Star Labs. He needed to apologize to Caitlin. She had seemed fine after they got rid of the anger in him, but he needed to make sure. He couldn't possibly lose a friend like Caitlin over something that he said.

He arrived in the hallway and began walking towards the Cortex. Caitlin usually was one of the last ones to leave Star Labs, so he was banking on her being there alone so he could just speak with her and get reassurance that their friendship wasn't hurt.

As he suspected, Caitlin was alone, sitting at the front desk. He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, as talking to her alone would make the conversation much easier, but it was what he saw on the computer screen that made him worried. She was looking at pictures of her and Ronnie, and he had a sneaky suspicion that she wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for what he said earlier today.

He knocked on the side of the wall, letting her know that someone was here. Caitlin turned around and smiled a little. "Hey."

"Hi." Barry tried to open his mouth to say more, but the words just didn't form right in his head.

"You should be at home resting; you were just cured of severe anger. Are you ok?" Caitlin asked.

"I should be asking you that." Caitlin gave him a weird look, waiting for him to go on. "Look, I know that I was affected by Bivilo for most of the day, but that still wasn't an excuse for what I said to you today about Ronnie. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok." Caitlin gave him a weak smile as she continued. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you in the first place for going out and trying to get Bivilo on your own. You have a good heart in wanting to help people and stop all the bad guys."

"But I shouldn't have mentioned Ronnie. It's not fair for me to say that when all you're doing is looking out for me." Barry sighed. "I said this to Joe also, but when Bivilo whammied me, it didn't just make me mad for no reason. It also brought up a lot of repressed feelings. The way I acted with Joe, Oliver, Eddie, and you, the things I said," Barry moved his gaze towards the ground. "Those were all real things I felt that I kept repressed."

Caitlin stood up from her seat and put a hand on his shoulder. "Barry, I'm not going to pretend that what you said didn't hurt me, but I don't really blame you for feeling this way. I guess I just feel the need to be overprotective of you because of what I had to go through with Ronnie. Every time you go out there into the field, you scare me Barry." Tears started to form in Caitlin's eyes. "When you ran off after the Mist and came back unable to breathe, I got scared. When you attempted the super sonic punch, I got scared. Today, when you were out there fighting the Arrow, I got scared. Even when you go out and fight small time thieves I just worry about you. I… I guess what I'm trying to say is it can seem like I'm treating you like Ronnie because I can't afford lose another person that I care about. I need you to be alive Barry."

By this time, Caitlin was now fully crying into Barry's arms, who had pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere Caitlin," Barry said as he gently rubbed her back. His shirt was getting soaked from her tears, but he didn't care at his point. He just wanted her to feel safe.

Moments passed by until Caitlin finally pulled away, looking much more relieved than before. "Thank you."

Barry gave her a smile. "You should probably head home now. It's getting late, and you could use a good night's rest."

Caitlin nodded in agreement, getting her coat and purse. "Walk with me?"

"Of course." They began walking towards the elevator, both now talking about more lighter subjects, like how Cisco and Diggle were having a little betting war on who would win during his fight with the Arrow (in which Caitlin reinforced the idea that she thought super speed would win).

Once they got to Caitlin's car, they hugged once more.

"Oh, one more thing," Caitlin called out as Barry began to leave. "You were right about one thing. You aren't Ronnie. He was my husband. You're my hero."

With that thought, Barry ran home, a smile plastered on his face.

**I may still do 1x09 next even though there aren't many scenes between them only because I thought it would be nice to have Barry and Caitlin talk at the Christmas party they had with the Wests.**


	3. 1x09

**So I did end up doing 1x09, but it ended up being a lot longer than I thought it was because I decided on doing it from Iris' point of view. I did this because I thought it would be a cool idea if Iris observed the interactions between Barry and Caitlin and explore how she would feel seeing them being close friends (but they totally like each other). Also, I thought that Barry and Caitlin should've talked at Joe's house at least once since she did stand up when he walked in, and I thought it would've been cool if the writers had shown what Barry got Caitlin, hence the prompt I wrote below.**

**Again, I'm not intending on doing every episode in each season, but I did get a question asking how many episodes I plan on doing. I don't really have an actual answer, but I plan on going through all the seasons and doing as many episodes as I think need some added/rewritten scenes. **

* * *

_Prompt: What if Iris took notice of Caitlin's behavior towards Barry at the Christmas party?_

_POV: Iris_

* * *

"So did you tell Barry about us moving in together?" Eddie asked Iris. They were at Joe's house finishing some small decorations. Joe had decided that it'd be a good idea to invite the Star Labs crew over for Christmas considering all they've done for Barry and the city, which Iris thought was really thoughtful.

"Um, yeah I did. He said he was happy for us," Iris replied, not wanting to get too in-depth on this topic. She _really_ didn't want to tell Eddie that this was especially awkward for her because Barry had confessed his feelings for her not too long ago. To add to that, Eddie was already weird about her and Barry being best friends and all, and rightfully so because they have a "history" together with growing up together. However, because of that, they were basically like brother and sister, and that was the thing Iris would always say to Eddie to reassure him that there was nothing going on between them.

Eddie finished putting on another ornament on the tree, then gave her a nod and a smile. "That's nice of him to say." But Iris could tell that he was still a bit skeptical that there was something more to this.

The doorbell rang, and Iris went to open the door.

"Hey guys!" Iris exclaimed as she hugged both Caitlin and Cisco as they walked in.

"Eggnog time! Man I can't wait," Cisco said in his usual kiddy way as he went in and greeted Eddie along the way to the eggnog. Iris couldn't help but laugh at Cisco's personality, which always seemed to brighten the mood.

"Is Barry here yet?" Caitlin asked, looking around the room.

"Oh, he'll be showing up a little later with Joe. Joe didn't tell him all of us would be here as a sort of surprise," Iris said.

"Oh alright, thanks," Caitlin said as she smiled and walked towards the couch to sit down. Iris had found this behavior a bit odd. Not that it was weird for her to wonder where Barry was, but the fact that it was the first thing she said and had only asked about Barry, not Joe (not that Caitlin didn't care about Joe, of course). Iris knew that Caitlin was probably just worried about Barry's whereabouts, and she was grateful for that. However, she began to wonder if there was more to this than she originally thought. She didn't know how close Caitlin and Barry were, but she did know that Barry still goes to Star Labs every day, so they must've developed some sort of bond with her and also Cisco. She shook this thought away as she went and sat with Eddie. They were going to be moving in together soon, and she really didn't need to have Barry lingering around in her mind when it does happen.

Soon after, Eddie and Iris were engaged in a conversation with Cisco and Caitlin as they were all waiting for Joe and Barry to arrive.

"So, how is Barry doing? I know that you two keep him in good shape at Star Labs?" Eddie asked.

Caitlin and Cisco both looked at each other before responding, as if they weren't really sure what to say, which kind of worried Iris. "Oh, you know, he's doing pretty… normal?" Iris gave him a weird look, making Cisco laugh a little. "Caitlin over here does more of the 'sciencey' stuff. I just make the toys," Cisco said with a big grin, which caused Eddie to laugh at that.

"Well, Barry is in much better health ever since the coma, but we still like to run tests on him just to continue monitoring his health in case anything does go wrong," Caitlin said.

"Oh, she's being modest. Caitlin is like Barry's personal physician, so trust me when I say he's in good hands," Cisco added. Eddie seemed to approve of this answer as he and Cisco continued to talk. Caitlin, on the other hand, looked like she was almost blushing at what Cisco had said about how she treats Barry, which did not go unnoticed by Iris. The words stuck within her head. _Personal Physician. _Did that mean…

Iris' thought was interrupted when the door opened with Joe and Barry walking in. Iris smiled as she saw the surprised look on Barry's face upon seeing his friends, but that smile faltered a bit when she saw Caitlin immediately standing up as they entered. Again, she tried to shake these thoughts from her head. Why the heck was she making a big deal out of this? She was being so observant of Caitlin's behavior towards Barry, and she wasn't sure why. After all, she didn't like Barry in a romantic way. Right?

Barry had approached her and Eddie about the move in, and he congratulated them on their decision, but she could sense the awkwardness in his voice considering how he did confess his love for her earlier today.

Later, Joe gathered everyone and put the angel on the Christmas tree, which became a tradition around the West family, so that brought some joy to Iris and the rest of the room. With her arm still around Eddie, she briefly glanced behind her only to see Barry smiling at Caitlin as she was showing off some sort of bracelet to him. Caitlin then mouthed what appeared to be a "thank you", and Barry pulled her into a quick hug, mouthing a "you're welcome", which Iris assumed meant he had given her that as a Christmas gift. Iris suddenly felt a pang of jealousy in her chest at seeing this sort of affection between them. She wasn't used to seeing Barry being so close to another woman other than her, making her brain confused as to how to feel about this.

Once more, she tried to shake these thoughts out of her head but eventually gave up trying. She was clearly bothered by Caitlin and how she had managed to be close friends with Barry. What irked her more was how she barely even knew Caitlin besides the fact that she was apparently his "personal physician". She was so used to being involved with Barry's relationships with any girl considering how they've grown up together, but now she felt that because of her moving in with Eddie, maybe Barry decided to move on from her. That wasn't meant to be a knock at Eddie, as Iris does love him deeply and wants to move in with him, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Caitlin now. But again, there was no way she could be jealous because she doesn't love Barry. Right?

"Iris, you feeling ok?" Eddie asked, immediately snapping Iris out of her trance.

"Yeah, yeah I'm ok," Iris replied, giving a smile to reassure him. But honestly, she didn't even know what she was feeling right now.

**This one was a lot of fun to write. Next up will be 1x10 (I'm sure that was a given). I'm still debating on whether I should do 1x12 as I felt that episode was complete with snowbarry scenes. I might do one just as a crazy hypothetical of if they confess to liking each other, but I'm not sure yet.**


	4. 1x10

**Sorry it took slightly longer to update! I had a busy few days, and that will probably continue as school is starting again for me as I get off vacation. Also, this one took longer as I wrote more than the previous chapters as the last part took a while to think of. **

**So for this one, I had always thought how it was weird that Barry never confronted Caitlin after she was kidnapped, considering how worried he was throughout the episode. Then the deleted scene was revealed and we saw that they did actually have a nice heart to heart scene. However, I thought the way it ended was kind of weird with how Caitlin was going to put her engagement ring into the incinerator and Dr. Wells stopping her and saying she should just put it in a drawer, which I didn't like how that went. So, I decided to do the first part of the deleted scene and then alter the ending. Also, I wanted to explore the idea of Barry having a lot of scars from his fight with Captain Cold and Heatwave, considering he had to let them hit him with the guns. So, enjoy!**

* * *

_Prompt: What if Caitlin and Barry had checked up on each other after the events of Captain Cold and Heatwave (aka, what if the deleted scene was included, but altered)?_

_POV: Caitlin, later Barry_

* * *

It was a long and eventful day for everyone, especially Caitlin. She started out with trying to investigate further into Ronnie and the whole FIRESTORM matrix situation. In the midst of that, Barry had approached her about relationship advice about how he had told Iris about how he felt, which Caitlin did her best to reassure him that things will get better. Then she went through "car trouble" and was kidnapped by Captain Cold and Heatwave, where she was tied up to a chair wired to a bomb. Luckily she was saved by Joe and Cisco, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a close call. Caitlin shivered at the thought of how she almost died. She wanted to be tough and show she wasn't afraid, but truth be told she was scared out of her mind.

On top of that, she had been worried sick about Barry's safety with fighting two criminals at once. Sure, they weren't metahumans, but they were wielding dangerous weapons that could either give frostbite or severe burns, and those were odds that Caitlin did not like. Even though she was scared of dying, she still preferred herself to get hurt over Barry as that was just the natural doctor within her that yearned for his safety. Luckily, it appeared that Barry had won the fight without getting hurt that much, as she couldn't see any signs of scars as far as she could tell.

"Cisco, if you would do the honors."

Caitlin watched as Dr. Wells began to hand the cold gun over to Cisco. "I swear to you all, I'll never make anything that can harm anyone like that ever again," he said as he finished placing the heat gun into the incinerator.

Caitlin internally laughed at the thought of Cisco not making any sort of harmful weapon. "How long do you give him?" she thought out loud, looking at Dr. Wells.

"One week."

"I'll take that bet," Barry added. Caitlin smiled as he walked up next to her. His presence after tonight's events just made her feel more secure.

"How are you holding up?" He asked. Caitlin was sort of glad that he did ask, as she had a lot on her mind that she wanted to say. Well, in particular, she had a lot she wanted to say to Barry. She desperately wanted to tell him how much her near-death experience had jostled up some unexpected feelings, but that wasn't something she was comfortable sharing with the rest of the group.

Caitlin took a deep breath as she began. "When Ronnie past away, I was frozen. I didn't see the point of living anymore. And last night, when I almost died, I…" The memory still played fresh in her mind.

_Flashback:_

"_Caitlin? Caitlin, is that you?" The voice of Cisco made her hopeful as she knew they had found her, but in a panic, she realized that they didn't know about the tripwire that was wired to the bomb._

_In desperation, she tried to make some indication to not go after her by trying to yell, but that was difficult considered how tightly they had gagged her up._

"_Caitlin!" She turned around to see Cisco and Joe, who were just a few steps from the trip wire. She tried to yell and squirm in her chair to once again try to get them to not come through that way. _

"_We're going to get you out!" Cisco yelled as he ran forward. Caitlin's eyes went wide as she saw his foot catch on the tripwire, starting the ticking noise that would inevitably lead to the bomb going off._

_She barely heard Joe's voice as her entire world went silent, with only the ticking of the bomb being the present sound. Her thoughts immediately drifted to all her closest friends in her life. Cisco, who was like a brother, Dr. Wells, her mentor throughout most of her life, Ronnie, who she still loved and missed, and then Barry. She felt that she and Barry's relationship was becoming something special and she didn't want it to end now. Even though it has only been a few months, he has already made such an impact on her life. He made her smile for the first time in a while and helped her cope with Ronnie's death. She didn't want this relationship to end._

_All of these thoughts happened in a split second as she was brought back to the real world after Joe managed to pull her away from the explosion. She looked around in disbelief as Cisco went to free her from the chair. _

"_I thought I was going to die," Caitlin said, still in shock._

"_Not when I'm around. Or him." Cisco gestured towards Joe and pulled her into a hug. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now she only hoped Barry was safe._

Present:

Caitlin shook her at what she was going to say. She wanted to tell him how he was on her mind the most before she nearly died. She wanted to tell him how he made her feel happy every day. But again, she didn't want to say all of these things in front of everyone.

She looked right at Barry as she continued. "... I thought of you. All of you, and the people we've saved and the miracles we've witnessed."

Caitlin looked down, wanting to finally come at peace with what was on her mind. "Ronnie is gone. I need to stop living in the past or waiting for the future."

*****_**This is where I diverge from the deleted scene because the way it ended was just weird.**_

Barry put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to go through this alone. We're all here to help and support you." Caitlin smiled at him.

Dr. Wells nodded at Cisco, giving him the cue to start the incinerator. They all watched ceremoniously as the weapons began to melt away into nothing, symbolizing their victory over Captain Cold and Heatwave.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm just about ready to pass out now," Cisco remarked, making a big show of him yawning as he began to gather his belongings. Dr. Wells nodded in agreement as he headed for the exit, followed by Cisco waving goodnight to Barry and Caitlin.

_Barry's POV:_

Barry began to clutch the side of his body. The frost and burn marks he suffered from the fight were still bothering him, but he hadn't said anything about it as he knew he would just heal in a few hours anyways.

"You ok Barry? You seem uncomfortable," Caitlin asked.

"I'm fine," Barry replied through a smile, but he knew Caitlin could see right through it.

"Barry…"

"It really isn't anything to worry about. Just some scars that are bothering me from the fight. Nothing a little super healing can't do."

"Barry, let me see," Caitlin asked gently.

Barry sighed as he lifted his shirt up and Caitlin gasped. There was a mix of frost and burn marks covering his abdomen, which were probably from when he was letting the beams hit him to get them to cross paths.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Barry said, trying to comfort Caitlin's worried look.

Caitlin gently put her hand on one of the burn marks, sending shivers throughout Barry. Her skin felt cool against his, giving a sense of calm to Barry. For a moment, he forgot about any pain that was bothering him from the scars and only focused on how nice her touch felt on him.

There was a moment of silence between them until they locked eyes, where Caitlin immediately moved her hand away from the scars, her face instantly turning red.

"Oh, sorry! I um… you were right, they aren't that bad and should heal in a few hours," Caitlin said, looking completely flustered as to what just happened. Barry began to laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"Your face, it's sooooo red! I didn't know you enjoyed checking up on me this much," Barry teased, pulling his shirt back down.

"Barry, it's not that!" Caitlin tried to be mad, but even she was starting to smile a bit. "I just wish you would tell me when you're feeling hurt."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't think it was a big deal because I knew I could heal from it. I promise I'll tell you next time, ok?" Barry said softly. "If anything, I should be asking if you're still ok, considering you nearly died."

Caitlin looked down at her feet. "It wasn't that I was going to die that scared me the most. When I said I thought of you, I meant I was scared of losing," Caitlin gulped before she continued, "losing what we have together."

"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"These past few months, fighting metahumans and saving lives, have honestly been amazing considering what happened in those nine months you were in a coma. Helping you has given me a new purpose in life, and has given me a great friend. Every time you go out into the field, I get worried that you could get seriously hurt and I would lose someone I care about all over again. You've been able to help me deal with Ronnie's death through being there for me and being such a fun person to be around." Barry smiled at the compliment. "So when I almost died, I wasn't scared about me specifically dying. I didn't want to die knowing that I would just be leaving such an amazing person and a friendship with so much potential." Caitlin's eyes started to form tears as she tried to laugh it off. "None of that probably made any sense, but I just wanted to get that off my chest."

Barry pulled her into a hug, running his hands through her hair as he tried to comfort her. He never really felt her hair before (when would he ever have the chance to), but it was super soft. "I feel the same way. When you were kidnapped, I was scared out of my mind. I felt powerless that you were just taken away when I'm supposed to protect the ones closest to me."

Caitlin pulled away, her eyes slightly red from crying. "Barry, that's not fair to say. None of us knew that I would -"

"But that isn't the point," Barry interrupted. "I should've stopped them when I had the chance. Then none of this would've happened!" Caitlin remained silent, politely listening. "When I saw you on TV, telling me not to come, that only made me more mad and determined to stop them and save you. I wanted to go and get you first, but Joe and Cisco told me that I needed to fight Cold and Heatwave first, and that just made me even more worried. What if I succeeded in defeating them, but you still died? I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Barry took a deep breath. "I can't lose you."

Caitlin smiled. "You won't, Barry. You're too good of a friend to let go."

Barry pulled her into another hug, wanting to feel her warmth again. He honestly could've stayed like this forever as he felt so safe in her arms. But there was one word that stuck with him. _Friend. _For some reason, part of him was disappointed at her for calling him that, almost as if he wanted something more…

**I will be doing 1x12 next! I'm thinking of doing the ending part where Barry and Caitlin talk after they capture Peek-a boo, but we'll see.**


	5. 1x12 (part 1)

**Sorry that it took a while to update, but as I suspected, school became annoying again and I was occupied by homework and studying. However, this one is much longer than the other ones and took longer to write, so hopefully that sort of makes up for it.**

**I decided that I want to split this up into two parts, as while I could cram all of it into one chapter, I thought with the way the story seemed to be heading that it would make sense to have it in two different chapters based on the ideas I have with what to write. Also, the next part will have way more "made up" parts that I wished would've happened in either this or later episodes, so that will take some time to write.**

* * *

_Prompt: What if Karaoke night causes hidden feelings to come out? (Part 1)_

_POV: Both_

* * *

Barry sighed in defeat. Once again, what looked like it could be a chance to get even closer to Iris was blown off. He had tried to see if he could help her with her journalism as it would be another chance to be alone with her, but of course Eddie had happened to be there, taking her out to dinner and possibly more after. He shook his head at this thought. Why did he keep thinking that one of these times would be different? Was he supposed to expect Iris to just suddenly dump Eddie and be with him, even if she had feelings for him?

Now he was left with nothing to do for the rest of the night now that his plans had gone down the drain. He really didn't want to just go home and just sulk in his depressing relationship life, nor was he in the mood to do any Flash business considering how annoyed he was with his love life (or lack of). He could go to a bar and just drink and laugh at the fact that he can't get drunk, but he wouldn't want to go alone.

That's when an idea popped into Barry's head. _Caitlin_. Barry had always thought that Caitlin was very pretty, but he was so focused on trying to get Iris to love him that he hadn't had the chance to think about the possibility that he might like Caitlin as well. She always knew how to cheer him up with her comforting words, and even if she didn't say anything, her presence often kept his mood up. He was honestly partly thankful that he had been put into a coma for 9 months as if it weren't for that, he would never have met Caitlin and she wouldn't be what he considered as his personal doctor, or more accurately, his personal physician, as Caitlin had once said. He wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for her patching him up after every battle and being the voice of reason for any stubborn decision he made. She was also one of his best friends and he has had a fun time hanging out with her along with Cisco, but he secretly has always wished that he could get the chance to hang out alone with her.

Barry would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about wanting to be with Caitlin. After all, she was there to take in all of Barry's complaining after he had confessed his feelings for Iris and was able to make him feel better through calming him down. She had told him that "it will be better", which had given him hope that maybe, just maybe Iris might actually like him back, but now that hope was looking slimmer by the day.

That's why he picked up his cell phone to call Caitlin. Right now, he just needed her to cheer him up and forget about Iris.

_Caitlin's POV:_

Back at Star Labs, Caitlin was engrossed in her work when her phone buzzed. She checked the caller id and saw it was Barry, which got her excited and a bit worried as he doesn't call her often.

"Hey," Caitlin said as she picked up her phone.

"Hey, um, what bars did Shauna and Clay eat frequent?" Barry asked.

"Um, mostly South Side dive bars, why?" Curiosity got the better of her as she wondered where he was going with this.

"Uh, I was just gonna check them out, see if they fall into any old habits."

That immediately caught Caitlin's attention. "That's a good idea. I'll join you." Caitlin grinned excitedly as she hung up. Truth be told, she was way more excited than she should normally be to hang out with a friend. But, Barry was more than a friend to her. If she was being honest, she had already fallen for Barry ever since she nearly tried to kiss him a few months ago. She liked a lot about him: his looks, personality, and his amazing ability to help people as a normal person and the Flash. He had this effect on her that made her forget about any tragedy she had suffered after the particle accelerator. The only problem was that he was in love with someone else, and would go to her for advice about it. While this did make her a bit jealous, she wanted nothing but to see him happy, and therefore she always did her best to help his love life. While she sometimes did feel like she was betraying Ronnie for liking someone else, after what Cisco had said to her before, she really wanted to try moving on from Ronnie because she didn't want to keep holding on to this hope that he will come back. That's why she was excited that Barry had basically asked her on a date.

_Wait, was this a date? _Caitlin began asking herself this question as she took the elevator down and made her way towards her car. Barry could very well be treating this as just a hangout. After all, he was still in love with Iris. However, Caitlin pushed this thought out of her head as Cisco's words came back into her's. She was going to treat this as a date, and that meant dressing up nice to impress her date. She smiled as she began driving to her apartment, having a good idea of what to wear.

_Barry's POV:_

Barry had chosen a bar that had a karaoke theme and texted Caitlin the location. He figured that having some music in the background while looking a people attempting to sing would make this less awkward.

"Why am I getting nervous?" Barry muttered under his breath. It was just Caitlin. He tried to think of reasons why. Was it because he was worried about catching Shauna and Clay? Or maybe he just hasn't hung out with Caitlin yet. Or maybe it was because he liked her?

_No, that can't be. She's just a friend. Sure she's super nice and caring and good looking, but there's no way that he could really like her, right?_

Barry heard the door open and turned around and saw Caitlin walk in. At that moment, the whole world began to slow down and all he could was just stare. Caitlin was wearing a tight shiny black dress that only went down halfway on her thighs, showing off her legs, which caused Barry's heart to beat even faster. His eyes traveled up to her upper body, where there was a modest cut in her dress that didn't show too much but was just enough to make his eyes linger a bit. When he did pry his eyes, he saw her having a large smile on her face as she briefly stood in front of the table, where their eyes were locked into each other. All he could think of was how amazing she looked. He mentally slapped himself at how he had not noticed this before.

"What?" Barry was taken out of his thoughts as Caitlin gave him a weird look, clearly noticing the staring.

"What nothing I uh," Barry was stumbling over his words, trying to think of what to say. "But you look really… nice." _Really, Barry? She looks so much better than just "nice"!_

"I don't always dress like a high school principal," Caitlin joked as she sat down. Barry suddenly felt bad for not dressing up that well, hoping that Caitlin wasn't disappointed at how he looked compared to her.

"So, this is where Shauna Baez and Clay Parker used to hang out," Barry said as he looked around the bar.

"It is according to the files. I thought we could kill two birds with one stone. Look for them and get ourselves back out there," Caitlin exclaimed.

Barry smiled at this, but the statement reminded him of how many times he had tried to "get himself out there" to get Iris' attention and how many times it has ended up with the same result. Barry sighed at this thought. "I keep making the same mistake. Everytime Iris falls I race to pick her up thinking that one of these times things are going to change, but things are never going to change. I am just destined to be just a friend." He felt bad for dumping all of this onto her when they were supposed to have fun, but at the same time it felt good to get this off his chest to someone he knew could understand well.

"At least you're not pining for someone who bursts into flames and wants nothing to do with you," Caitlin said, trying to lighten the mood.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Barry suddenly felt a lot better from his lovesickness for Iris. Caitlin had that kind of effect on him, where just a look and a smile could brighten his mood.

He also just felt bad for talking about relationship issues with her when he knew she was still dealing with Ronnie being alive, but now is apparently a meta and doesn't show any signs of caring about her. It was almost crazy how they were both hung up over people, yet were now on what seems like a date talking about it. Barry's thoughts drifted to his feelings for Caitlin. Did he have feelings for her? It seemed like the universe was trying to get him to confess this with how today's events were panning out. He has always liked her personality, but tonight not only showed just how stunning she looks but also how well they could relate with each other. With Iris, while they did grow up together, their lives have begun to diverge into different paths, with Iris going on the path of journalism and Barry into CSI. He can't talk about science, the latest criminal activity, or any struggles he's been going through as she can really only sympathize, not empathize. With Caitlin, their lives are similar. He can talk about science and superhero business with her, and she's so effective in helping him deal with any sense of loss because she has gone through most of it herself. It wasn't anything against Iris, but Barry was starting to realize how him and Caitlin were really "quite the pair" with how well they go together.

Barry let out a small laugh at the thought of this. "What is wrong with us? I mean we're in our twenties. We should be having fun, meet people, go on lots of dates." While Barry was talking about this in general, he secretly was talking directly about her and how he realized how much he actually likes her-

_Did I just admit I like Caitlin?_ Barry was almost in shock about this, but he couldn't deny it anymore. The chemistry between them was now more obvious than ever. Barry Allen liked Caitlin Snow. He looked at her smiling and it only further cemented his feelings. She was breathtaking.

Caitlin picked up the drink in front of her and held it up. "Well, here's to liquid courage!" She said as she began to drink it.

Barry watched in amusement as she gulped the alcohol beverage in record time. "Whoa, that is very fast," Barry noted as he watched her finish the entire drink in a second. "You drank all of it."

"Excuse me, I would like to start a tab," Caitlin asked a waitress, looking at Barry with a smile.

"Ok…" Barry muttered, realizing that this was going to be a long, but humorous night. "Are you sure it's a good idea to get drunk now?"

"Barry, come on. This is supposed to be a "let it loose" night! This is me getting myself back out in the world," Caitlin smiled as another drink came by her. "Here, have some!"

"You know I can't get drunk, right?"

"Just drink, Barry. Have some fun with me!" Caitlin laughed. "Here, I'll take the first sip."

"I um, I can get another one since you already drank that one," Barry stuttered. He was becoming very flustered based on how Caitlin was acting. At the same time, he kind of liked this Caitlin. She seemed to be acting more friendly towards him, which Barry secretly liked. Was she already feeling the effects of the alcohol?

Caitlin pouted as she pushed her drink towards him. "Barry, we're the bestest friends, and you won't share a drink with me? I'm hurt." Caitlin made a whiny face as she crossed her arms and looked at him.

Barry almost laughed at how childish she was being. "Ok, ok, I'll take a sip." As he suspected, he felt nothing as his hyper-metabolism burned through the alcohol like it was nothing.

Caitlin bounced up and down in her seat as if she just won the lottery. "Awesome, now it'll taste even better!" Caitlin said as she grabbed the drink from his hands and gulped it down. Barry was left completely speechless at the fact that she was flirting with him, which if he was being honest, left some butterflies in his stomach. This was going to be a long, interesting night...

_Later:_

Despite not being drunk, the rest of the night was a blur. He had watched Caitlin drink way more than he should've let her, but at the same time he didn't want to bother her as he wanted to let her have fun and just let loose, considering how she was still working on moving on. They had talked a bit more, but at some point, she managed to vanish from his sight. Barry went up to the counter to try to get some water as having an alcoholic beverage was not the best way to hydrate.

"Hello?" Barry asked the bartender again, who seemed to be more invested in talking to the girls sitting across from him than doing his job.

"Mr. Barrrrry Allen!" Barry turned around and looked in shock as he saw Caitlin standing on the karaoke stage. "Come on down, or up. Come up here with me!" Barry shook his head, trying to signal her that he was definitely not in embarrassing himself tonight. "Ohhhh, come show them what you got, come on. Barry, Barry, Barry," Caitlin began chanting his name, and soon enough the rest of the bar joined in, amused at what was going on. Barry sighed as he quickly ran up to the stage, knowing that there was no way out of this. "Look at him go he's so fast! Oh, shhh." Caitlin put her fingers to her lips as if trying to be quiet about him being the Flash, which Barry thought was cute.

"You know I'm not much of a singer," Barry warned. "And you're not much of a drinker."

Caitlin merely shrugged. "You're going to bring this place down," she announced to the whole crowd.

Barry shook his head from embarrassment but at the same time was internally laughing at how Caitlin was acting. "Ok just," Barry gestured towards the microphone, "good girl."

The music started playing Summer Nights, which Barry had heard before but never sang.

"Get ready," Caitlin said as the words appeared on the screen. Barry mentally braced himself for what was to come.

"_Summer lovin' had me a blast _

_Summer lovin' happened so fast"_

"_I met a girl crazy for me"_

"_Met a boy cute as can be"_

"_Summer days, drifting away," _Barry gestured Caitlin to join in.

"_To oh, oh the Summer nights"_

Barry had a huge smile as they got off stage, not expecting karaoke out of all things to be fun.

"You're fast _and _you can sing? What else can you do?" Caitlin exclaimed, appearing to be completely stunned at what he considered sub-par singing skills.

"Stopping you from drinking apparently," Barry said as he watched her take a sip from probably her 5th or 6th drink of the night (I'm not really sure how much you need to be drunk but not like dead or whatever).

"I'm not even sure that was mine." Suddenly, Caitlin's face looked worried. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Ok," Barry laughed, watching Caitlin walk away. He sat down and finally took a breather. He expected today to be a fun night, but not _this_ much fun. It was great to see this side of Caitlin - not necessarily a good thing that she was drunk, but seeing her having fun and not worrying about anything made him only like her more. How could he not have noticed how amazing Caitlin was earlier? He had always known her as the worrisome doctor, and that combined with him pining after Iris made him completely oblivious to any possibility that she had an outgoing personality outside of Star Labs.

He began remembering about the time they went out with Cisco, Iris, and Eddie, where they discovered Barry's inability to get drunk. That was probably the first time he really saw through Caitlin's "coldness" with how she was laughing and having more fun. But of course, he was too busy being jealous of Eddie and Iris together.

Now, sitting at the bar, all he could think of was the lyrics he and Caitlin had just sung. He knew Caitlin was drunk and the song didn't really mean anything, but he couldn't help but wish that Caitlin really thought that he was cute and that she was crazy for him. The way they had locked eyes when they sang… he'd only wish Caitlin really was showing feelings for him and not just be affected by the alcohol.

Alcohol… He really needed to stop Caitlin from drinking before it actually got serious.

"Hey can I close my tab please?" Barry tried the bartender again, but of course, he continued to pretend he didn't exist, which was really starting to bother him.

"Hey Stevie," Barry looked to his left to suddenly see a girl next to him. "Can my friend her tab out?"

"Sure thing Linda."

Barry was confused as to why this girl just helped him, but nevertheless was thankful for it. "Uh, thank you, Linda."

"You're welcome, Barry," Linda replied, giving him a flirtatious smile.

_What the…_ "How do you know my name?" Barry asked, completely caught off guard.

"Barry, Barry Barry," Linda mimicked the chant as she reminded him of his singing.

"Oh yeah, sorry about us up there…" Barry looked away, embarrassed that someone else had heard how badly they had sung. However, that didn't mean that he was still grinning on the inside at how fun it had been.

"Are you kidding me?" Linda asked in disbelief. "No, that was some of the best singing I've heard come from that stage. You definitely made my ears happy, don't worry."

"Thanks," Barry said, but was wondering why she was still talking to him. Sure, she was pretty cute and all, but a certain doctor still dominated his mind.

"So, was that your girlfriend up there?" Linda suddenly asked.

"Oh, uh no no, she's a friend," Barry replied, not being able to hide the disappointed in his voice. If only he hadn't been so stubborn then maybe he would've realized his feelings for her.

There was an awkward moment of silence as Barry gave her a weird look again, wondering where she was going with this.

"Hey, have you heard of this new phone app?" Linda asked, breaking the silence. "It's so cool, check it out. You just touch someone's phone with your phone, and it automatically downloads your contact info."

"Oh, that is cool," Barry said, pretty intrigued as to how that worked.

Linda then took her phone and tapped it against his, which as she said, immediately downloaded her contact info. "See, you have my number." Barry looked at his phone, surprised as to how easily he got a girl's number. "What you do with it now is up to you."

Barry watched her walk away, confused as to what happened. Isn't this what he wanted? To go on lots of dates?

"Barry, I don't feel so good." He looked up to see Caitlin next to him again with a pained look on her face.

"Ok, come one," Barry said as he immediately got up and rushed her out of the bar and into the parking lot, where instantly leaned over and threw up. Barry gently rubbed her back, trying his best to comfort her.

"Do you want to go home?" Barry asked once she was done. Caitlin simply nodded as Barry draped his coat over her and flashed her to her apartment.

"Are we still running?" Caitlin asked absent mindedly as they arrived in her room.

"No, we are here."

"Ugh, vodka and super speed. Not a good combination." Barry chuckled lightly at this comment.

"So, are you gonna call her?" Caitlin suddenly asked.

"Who?"

"That girl. The one who gave you her number." Caitlin began taking off her high heels and throwing them to the side.

Barry was surprised that she remembered that, but if he was being honest, he already forgot about her the moment he was back with Caitlin. "I hadn't really given it much thought."

"Yes you have," Caitlin accused him. "But I know you, you won't. You'll let her slip right through your fingers because you think you don't deserve happiness." And at that moment, Barry realized that she was literally stripping her dress of right in front of him and he immediately turned around, his face beginning to heat up. "But what you don't realize is you need a little saving too. A little help please?"

Barry's heart was now pounding as he slowly turned around, revealing Caitlin with her dress halfway off, exposing her in only a black lacy bra covering her chest. He tried to only look at her eyes out of respect, but his eyes moved on their own, instantly attracted to what was the most appealing. He briefly observed how hot her body looked before realizing that he was staring and needed to help her get out of her dress.

"Um, yeah," Barry finally answered, quickly using his speed to put her into her pajamas, wanting that to be over before he did anything stupid. He didn't want to admit it, but a part of him was screaming to just kiss her right there, but his better side knew that he would just be taking advantage of her.

"There you go again, saving me from that evil dress," Caitlin said as she motioned towards her dress that was now on the ground.

"Get in bed." Barry pointed towards her bed, wanting her to get rest before he inevitable massive headache the next morning.

"Did you sneak a peek? At my goods?" Caitlin teased as she got in her bed.

Barry almost choked on his own breath. "I wouldn't be much of a hero if I did." His face heated up as he knew that while he was changing her out of her dress, he had gotten a glimpse of her black lacy underwear that matched her bra, and his eyes may have lingered over her backside.

"Yeah, but it's ok if you peeked a little. You deserve a peek for all the good stuff you do." _Well if she said it's ok, then I guess I shouldn't feel guilty for peeking. _

He finished tucking her in and kneeled beside her. "Drink lots of water," he told her.

"Thank you for tonight. I _sang_," Caitlin remarked, clearly impressed with herself.

Barry smiled back at her. "Anytime."

He suddenly realized that he needed to get home, and was disappointed that he couldn't stay longer. He was about to leave when Caitlin interrupted him.

"Hey Barry? Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Yeah, sure."

Caitlin sounded like a little kid asking this, which Barry found way too cute. He was also excited that he had an excuse to stay with her longer, not wanting the night to end. He sat on the edge of her bed, slowly stroking her side in an effort to make her more comfortable and fall asleep faster.

He watched as she closed her eyes to fall asleep. Barry couldn't help but notice how cute she looked while sleeping. The way her hair effortlessly spread across her pillow and how relaxed she looked only made Barry's feelings for her even stronger. As he watched her sleep, he began to reflect on how tonight went. What was originally supposed to be him helping Iris write some article turned into a fun night with Caitlin, where hidden feelings had stirred up within him. In a way, he had Iris to thank for this as if it wasn't for her not being available tonight, he would still be blinded by the idea that she might love him, and not notice that someone amazing has been in front of him this whole time. He loved how she showed the fun side of her personality, making him realize how complete she was to him. Not only is she a brilliant doctor who helps keep him safe, but she's also a super fun person to be around with.

Barry didn't realize how long he stayed with her, but eventually he realized that she was sound asleep, now having shifted onto her back so she was facing up. Barry had the sudden urge to kiss her, but at the same time, he wasn't sure if a stolen kiss was the best idea at the moment. Sure, tonight had helped him realize that he has liked her for a while, but he was still in love with Iris, right?

Barry got up from the bed and took one last look at her. Without even thinking, he leaned in quickly and pressed his lips against hers and pulled away fast, not wanting her to wake up, and flashed back home. However, the only thing he could think of during his run was how his lips were still buzzing from her soft lips, and wished that maybe he'd be able to get a proper kiss someday.

**Once again, it may take the same amount of time to update again, but I'll try my best to do it sooner!**


End file.
